![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Racer on February 4, 2006, at 13:07:53
In reply to Worked like a charm! You just » LegWarmers, posted by 10derHeart on January 23, 2006, at 16:06:31
I'm still trying to find something that will provide enough relief that I"m actually functional again. I'm just not. It's been suggested that psychostimulants might be a part of the answer, and at this point I'm ready to look into them more closely, but worry that they'll up my anxiety too much. So, I'm coming to the experts:
Have you ever been prescribed dexadrine if you have an anxiety disorder, and if so, did it have a negative effect on you?
Thanks!
Posted by mattw84 on February 4, 2006, at 18:34:03
In reply to Dexadrine and anxiety?, posted by Racer on February 4, 2006, at 13:07:53
I would not recommend introducing a stimulant, especially dexedrine, if you have any anxiety disorders. I had to stop taking adderall simply because it made me much too agitated and made my anxiety much more intolerable. I, however, have panic disorder so even the mild stimulants like caffiene negatively affect me... YMMV, but one way to know for sure is to give it a try. Good Luck.
Matt
Posted by Phillipa on February 4, 2006, at 20:55:09
In reply to Re: Dexadrine and anxiety? » Racer, posted by mattw84 on February 4, 2006, at 18:34:03
Gee I was hoping Racer was on to something. I have wondered the same thing but can't drink caffeine either. Oh well on to the drawing board. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Paulbwell on February 4, 2006, at 21:08:22
In reply to Re: Dexadrine and anxiety? » Racer, posted by mattw84 on February 4, 2006, at 18:34:03
> I would not recommend introducing a stimulant, especially dexedrine, if you have any anxiety disorders. I had to stop taking adderall simply because it made me much too agitated and made my anxiety much more intolerable. I, however, have panic disorder so even the mild stimulants like caffiene negatively affect me... YMMV, but one way to know for sure is to give it a try. Good Luck.
>Hi Ya!
Adderall, which contains Levo-Amphetamine typically causes more anxiety than pure Dextroamphetamine alone. It depends on your make up. Some folks can and do take Dex, and find it alleviates their thought rumination-(it was a treatment for OCD b4 Anafranil got FDA approval for this) perhaps because it allows them to focus and concentrate on whatever it is they are doing, allowing all the repetitive, swirling thoughts to take a different course. The doses some folks take startles me, anywhere from 5mgs 2x daily to 200mgs+ daily!.
Some studied litrature is my point.
Hope you well, let us know
Cheers
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on February 4, 2006, at 23:25:37
In reply to Dexadrine and anxiety?, posted by Racer on February 4, 2006, at 13:07:53
I am GAD and MDD and added dexedrine to my combo abt 9 months ago. I have had to go slowly and stay at low doses. I currently take 10mg and 5mg. This is much lower than one would use for ADD. Pdoc says that in order to combat fatigue and amotivation asssoc w/ MDD, a small dose is sufficient.
However, it should be said that I am very tolerant to meds and I need high doses in general to get a response. As for caffine, it does nothing for me--I can drink coffee right until I brush my teeth for bed! So, even though I take a tiny bit of Dex and my anxiety is okay, I would not be shocked if other people had different experiences. My meds are:
40 Lexapro
1200 Neurontin
125 Desipramine
5 Ambien
15-20 Dex
750 Lithium (added after the Dex b/c I did not have a complete response)Hope something in this post helps. BTW, my pdoc seems interested in keeping the Dex in the mix b/c it may help w/ fatigue that I often experience (possibly due to the Li) and it may be keeping Li cognitive s/e's at bay (hasn't been a prob so far).
Best,
EE
Posted by gardenergirl on February 4, 2006, at 23:57:34
In reply to Re: Dexadrine and anxiety? » Racer, posted by Emily Elizabeth on February 4, 2006, at 23:25:37
Would there be any worries about dexedrine and anorexia not going together well?
I can relate to the desire for motion out of paralysis, but I'd be worried about weight loss and appetite suppression and how that would affect your progress.
Because I love you,
gg
Posted by blueberry on February 5, 2006, at 5:54:26
In reply to Dexadrine and anxiety?, posted by Racer on February 4, 2006, at 13:07:53
Hi Racer,
I was wondering about a couple things.
First, since anxiety has been crippling to you for so long, have you had cortisol levels checked? Or more specifically, the cortisol/dhea ratio that shows what your adrenal glands are doing? I just can't help but wonder if there is some other bodily function at the root of the problem, other than brain chemistry. The adrenals affect everything, especially anxiety. Either being overamped or sluggish can result in anxiety. Correcting a problem is fairly easy with over the counter supplements. The tests are easy and not very expensive with a mailorder lab service (idealhealth.com).
Also, are up to trying any natural supplements? I'm not thinking of the usual suspects like st johns wort or 5htp. Tops on my list would be either DL-phenylalanine or Rhodiola Rosea. If you would like more information on these or half a dozen other good candidates, please let know. I only mention these two right off the bat because if they are going to work, they will do so very quickly. They are cheap. They will likely help lose weight too. With either, I've experienced some anxiety on the first day which turned into calm on the second day. With either, the antidepressant effect was stunning and happened in about 2 hours. Even if you didn't take them regularly or longterm, they can be added to your toolkit for taking a break from the seemingly endless anxiety and depression. Anyway, I was just wondering how you might feel about that. I know you've paid your dues in the medication arena, and maybe, just maybe, just an idea, it might be worth looking at something cheaper, faster, and more natural. ??? Obviouslly I realize mileage varies and there are no guarantees. I'm just thinking in terms of fast and cheap and above average potential. And having seen your posts for many years, I can't help but be concerned for you pain.
Posted by Racer on February 5, 2006, at 13:11:22
In reply to Re: Dexadrine and anxiety? » Emily Elizabeth, posted by gardenergirl on February 4, 2006, at 23:57:34
> Would there be any worries about dexedrine and anorexia not going together well?
>
> I can relate to the desire for motion out of paralysis, but I'd be worried about weight loss and appetite suppression and how that would affect your progress.
>
> Because I love you,
>
> ggAnd I love you too. I'm glad you're my friend.
I know that the anorexia would likely be an issue. Of course, my weight is currently exactly what the doctor ordered back in the beginning, so maybe that makes a difference.
After hearing from Emily Elizabeth -- whose name I almost misspelled ;-) -- I think it's worth asking my pdoc about next time, and see if she's willing to try it. That low a dose seems as though it wouldn't cause a problem with appetite.
And I think BlueBerry has a good idea, too, of checking adrenal function. With some of what's gone on for me in the past couple of years, I have wondered that a lot, too. I'll ask about that, as well.
Posted by gardenergirl on February 5, 2006, at 18:46:58
In reply to Re: Dexadrine and anxiety? » gardenergirl, posted by Racer on February 5, 2006, at 13:11:22
Posted by Paulbwell on February 5, 2006, at 20:35:48
In reply to Dexadrine and anxiety?, posted by Racer on February 4, 2006, at 13:07:53
> I'm still trying to find something that will provide enough relief that I"m actually functional again. I'm just not. It's been suggested that psychostimulants might be a part of the answer, and at this point I'm ready to look into them more closely, but worry that they'll up my anxiety too much. So, I'm coming to the experts:
>
> Have you ever been prescribed dexadrine if you have an anxiety disorder, and if so, did it have a negative effect on you?
>
> Thanks!It depends Racer, on the dosage, your make up. Dexedrine is, well 'speed' to put it mildly, while this CAN calm many who have hyperactive minds, for others it can cause avxiety.
Interestingly I have read of SEVERAL studies where acutely manic patients, who after not responding to an acute dose of Lithiun, became calmer with the introduction of Dextroamphetamine, a kinda brain organisation effect I guess, so go figure.
As always start low and go low.
Cheers
Posted by Tom Twilight on December 13, 2006, at 4:24:16
In reply to Dexadrine and anxiety?, posted by Racer on February 4, 2006, at 13:07:53
This is a difficult question, since Stims affect everyone differently.
I have to say that Dex had a very negative affect on my Anxiety, infact it gave me Anxiety problems I'd never had before, which are still with me :(
Having said that I was careless, and wasn't being monitored at all (long story)
Don't let me put you off, but as I always say
START LOW, GO SLOW!
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.